Girls

U8

Wildcats 4, Net Rippers 0: The Net Rippers fought hard but were unable to catch their formidable opponents. Julia Klein and Julia Kanaan were standouts in the defense, while Brigitte Marino and Anna Romano put an outstanding effort in for the offense. The Wildcats’ well-balanced attack was led by Erin Phaneuf (1 goal), Hannah Groonell (2 goals), Kaley Meisenheimer (1 goal, 1 assist). Shauna Tucker and Colleen Phaneuf made great passes setting up two of the goals and each earning an assist. Isabella Butler demonstrated strong ball control while playing a strong all-around game. Kaia Gioffre and Ruby Rose Rankin led a stingy Wildcats defense turning away numerous attacks.

Lightning 4, Blue Breeze 1: The Blue Breeze and the Lightning played a fast moving, back and forth, action-packed game in which the Blue Breeze jumped out to a quick lead, only to see the Lightning come storming back. For the Lightning, the offense was sparked by Carlie Smith, who netted a pair of goals, Elizabeth Tiexieria and Katie Viselli, who scored once and provided excellent assist help on one net. The defensive unit was anchored with nice play by Hannah Sepp, Cameron Powers, Ellie Moxham and Eileen McCleary. Nicole Fisher also played a quarter of outstanding goal for the Lighting. Mary Celentano netted the goal for the Blue Breeze, which also received fine offensive performances by Emma Magazu, Bailey Buchetto and Olivia Buchler. A stout defensive effort was spearheaded by Maddie Stites, Morgan Seras and Charlotte Branchflower. Corrin Bottom turned in a fine performance in goal.

Lightning Strikes 3, Blue Crushers 1: The Blue Crushers took the early lead with a goal scored by Shannon Jackman. Supporting Shannon on offense were Madeline Patrick and Paige Farley who fought hard for the Blue Crushers. In goal, Morgan Melillo did an outstanding job. Defense was strong with Jillian Carrino and Madison Hintze. For the Lightning Strikes, Megan Riccardi, Becca Filiato and Olivia Cornett supplied the scoring, each netting a goal a piece. Two of the goals were the result of crisp cross passes from Mary Sortino and Becca Filiato. Hailey Wilson and Lily Charles were impressive on defense, and under heavy pressure at game’s end, Alyssa Bailey’s goal tending preserved the win.

U10

Newtown Sparks 2, Darien Red 2: Despite an early goal in the first minute by Darien, Newtown Sparks’ goalkeeper Jackie Seras had a great first half defending the goal. Emily Celentano booted two goals into the net in the first half giving Newtown the lead at half-time 2-1. Defenders Seras, Madi Ziperstein and Kristen Cirone along with goalkeeper Sarah Widmann played strong the second half of the game holding the score in Newtown’s favor. A breakaway late in the second half gave Darien the scoring goal. The game ended in a tie.

Old Greenwich White 2, Newtown Sparks 0: The Sparks dominated the field in the first half led by Kristen Cirone who was a stand-out up and down the field. Sparks goalkeeper Sarah Widmann saw very little action in the first half but was grateful for the team effort guarding the goal on an indirect free kick at the top of the box. Forwards Nathalie Schickendantz, Lauren Adams and Emily Celentano tried their hardest to penetrate the Old Greenwich defense. Jackie Seras, Madi Ziperstein and Lindsay Merrifield applied defensive pressure keeping play on Old Greenwichs side of the field. Scoreless at half-time, the Sparks went out the second half to try and get the win. Goalkeeper Seras was unable to capture a high in the net goal from Old Greenwich and later a hard kicked ball with only minutes to play.

Westport Red 3, Newtown Sparks 1: Coming off a loss the day before, the Newtown Sparks kicked it into action the first half with two attempts on goal by Emily Celentano early on. Kristen Cirone finally broke the scoreless half with a late goal off a pass from Carly Swierbut. Despite great passing and some even more impressive crossing passes, Newtown was unable to get past the Westport defenders. Newtown’s goal was defended in the first half by Swierbut and later Sarah Widmann. Lauren Adams stood out on the field with great ball handling and aggressive moves to keep possession of the ball and win first touch throughout the game. Newtown keeper Jackie Seras played well in the defeat.

Golden Eagles 5, American Eagles 0: Golden Eagles’ Samantha Bicho jump-started the Eagles offense with a pair of first half goals. Nina Henriques is an emerging offense dynamo as she snagged a goal for the second straight game to put the Eagles up at the half. In the second half, Emma Curtis hit pay dirt and Chloe Freedman sent a sailing shot into the back of the net. Eagles goalie, Holly LoCascio made several diving saves to ensure the Golden W for the Eagles. Although the American Eagles came up short in this excellent overall contest, the American Eagles’ offensive unit did a nice job moving the ball up the pitch to apply pressure on the defending goal. Hana Rosenthal, Caroline Viselli, Grace Sholtes and Greta Capeci did a nice job of overall ball control and movement during the game. Defensively, Sarah Simenson, Beth Mattola and Izzy Kaiser supported the Eagles with multiple deflections, while Kaysie Fisher played outstanding in net in the second half of the game.

Smurfs 1, Funky Socks 1: Adding to the tall grass resistance, the tough Smurf defense led by Julia Clark, Jenna Ehnot and Lin Vitarbo, coupled with strong goalie play by Erin Walsh limited their opponent to one score. Veronica Vodola had her lone goal for Smurfs. Team Funky Socks played their socks off. Earning her first career goal for Funky Socks Cailin Blessey deftly cut through her opponents and threaded the needle scoring from the right hand side late the first half. Madison Findley appeared to have lightning in her cleats as she traversed the field easily maneuvering the ball through the offense and defense of the Smurfs. Bella De Leon was steadfast and strong as she blasted through any resistance by the Smurfs.

Dynamites 5, Monroe 0: Katie Sailer opened up the first half with four shots on goal. Alison Kelleher capitalized on a cross by Keeley Kortze for the first goal of the game. Shots were also made by Lauren Carrino, Brooke Antous and Lu Hage. Jenna Lavelle had a save. In the second half, the barrage of shots continued with Jenna Lavelle scoring next followed by Keeley Kortze to bring the score to 3-0. Rebecca Gavel had some nice ball carries and Audrey Benson had a strong passing game. Grace Corcoran carried the ball down the field and scored the game’s fourth goal. Lauren Carrino then made the assist to Keeley Kortze for the final score of the game just before time expired.

U12

Dynamite 1, Fairfield Lightning 1: On Sunday, the Newtown Dynamite came out to play against the Fairfield Lightning. In the first half the action was end to end. In goal, Mallory Lobuglio came up with huge saves. On defense, Katie Elkins had a strong game. The only first half scoring came from an Alexandra Manoni pass to a streaking Maya Neuhoff who found the net. In the second half the Dynamite’s offensive effort continued, thanks to the hard work of Taylor Pare and Lauren Cirone. Fairfield was able to score about midway through the second half. The game ended tied at 1.

Newtown Thunder Memorial Tournament

The Thunder recently participated in the Newtown Memorial Weekend Tournament. The team played outstanding soccer in compiling a 2-2 record.

Thunder 2, FUSA Lightning 1: Hailey Conrad scored both goals, on assists from Jess Maturo and Kendra Dunnigan. Sandwiched between the goals was a spectacular penalty shot save late in the second half by Meghan Doyle which preserved the victory.

Ridgefield Black 2, Thunder 1: Meghan Kelleher boomed a kick from midfield that took a bounce over the goalie’s head to get Newtown on the board. Newtown threatened late, but could not get the tying goal. Julia Sughrue played well at midfield.

Thunder 3, Woodbury Eagles 1: Newtown came back from a 1-0 deficit with consecutive goals by Emily Neave, one of which was assisted by Olivia Caplan. Conrad scored the final goal on a pretty cross from Doyle. Steph Carr was strong in goal. Ali Manfredi was instrumental in pushing the ball up the field.

Enfield Eclipse 2, Thunder 1: Lauren Beier scored from the left wing early in the second half to tie the game. Late in the game she blasted a penalty kick off the crossbar and then put in the rebound for the apparent tying goal. It was waved off, however, as it was ruled that the goalie had not made contact on the first shot. A determined Claire Beiter (with arm in cast) had a great all-around game.

Wilton 3, Thunder 2: Newtown dropped their first league contest of the season. Beier scored early to put the Thunder in the lead. Maturo scored off a rebound of a free kick to tie the game up late in the second half. With 10 seconds remaining, Beier launched a perfect corner kick that sailed through the crease, but Newtown could not put a foot on it.

Thunder 1, Stamford 0: In a very physical match, goalie Doyle went the distance for the shutout, making several tough saves. She was supported on defense by the sound efforts of Emily Montoya, Caplan, and Kelleher. Late in the second half, Carr lifted a shot over the goalie for the game winner.

U14

Smiters 4, Chaos 3: For the Smiters, goals were scored by Amanda Martinez, Carly Grossano, Stephanie Haas and Sarah MacMullan, who also played outstanding in goal, as did Haley Taylor and Katerina Ringes. Bridget McDonald played excellent defense. For the Chaos, goals were scored by Alex Dittrich, Hannah Grant and Morgan Goldstein in a game that saw them fighting from behind. Jesse Sailer provided two assists and Ashley Marks provided one. Emily Toby and Keira Veillette played well and Chrissy Moore had another great game.

Boys

U8

Madmen 3, Champions 0: The Madmen played a great overall game, winning a hard-fought contest. Marlin Median led the way with two goals and Johnathan Taylor added another. Steven Leuci and Ethan Parson showed great hustle on the defensive side and Daniel DeBartolomeo and William Tainter-Gilbert were strong in the goal not allowing the other team to score. The Champions tried to keep up with their opponents by controlling the ball in the opposite end with good passing and hustle by Zachary Masone, Brendan O’Neill and Henry Wishneski, while the defense played hard keeping the other team to only three goals. Matthew Weisgerber and Miller Tetreaux played excellent defense throughout the game. Both teams played with good sportsmanship.

Team Four 3, Warriors 0: Multiple shots were taken by the Warriors, however, they were unable to make any of them count. The game, however, was highlighted by some of the best goalie play this year for The Warriors, as Devin O’Connell, Collin Hoffman, Jered Robertson and Charlie Graven defended more than 20 shots on goal.

Golden Eagles 3 Knights 1: The short-handed Golden Eagles played a strong game against a formidable opponent in the Knights. By staying spread out and making good passes Hunter Kirkman opened the scoring in the first quarter hitting the back of the net off a fantastic assist from Drew Poseno. In the third quarter, Devin Johnson scored after receiving a great pass from Sawyer Findley (borrowed from The Knights). Then in the fourth quarter, Hunter Kirkman belted home his second goal of the game. Michael Elston and Sam Staubly also played rock solid and set up multiple chances throughout the game. The Knights played a very competitive game and aggressively pursued the Golden Eagles. Aidan Finnegan scored the Knights’ only goal with a hard shot hitting the top right hand corner of the goal. Andrew Kugler was massive on defense and Zack Kugler tore up the field with lightening speed. Jacob Shuman demonstrated tremendous precision for control of the ball on both offense and defense throughout the game. Kevin Tran was tireless in his dogged pursuit of the Golden Eagles.

Nighthawks 6, Black Skulls 3: The Nighthawks played a close contest against a strong squad pulling away towards the end. The trio of Jack Petersen, Duncan O’Leary and Tanner Trede each had two goals. Jake Mailloux and Torin Kearney played their best games on offense, attacking the goal relentlessly. The defense of the Nighthawks was led by the aggressive play of Zachary Reilly and Zachary Riley. The Black Sculls played a fast and offensive game against the Nighthawks but were not able to place the ball in the net enough times. Nearly all players on offense had multiple shots at goal. Zach Freedman started strong and had four close shots. Jack Stanton scored two goals with the help of Hayden Miller. Aidan Hall had a shot on goal just before JP Ford tied the game in the third. Zach Majeski and Sean O’Sullivan played great with Alex Goldstein, Dustin Patterson and Eric Vine pushing the ball down field. Jake Holme had some fast breakaways only to be stopped by a tough defense.

U10

Newtown Nuggets 2, Wilton 2: The Newtown Nuggets got off to a quick start with Shea Talbot scoring a goal just a few seconds after kick-off after getting a nice assist from Tyler Dickinson. Not long afterwards, Harvey Long made a nice midfield pass up to the front, enabling Colin Dunn to give the Nuggets a 2-0 lead. There was great teamwork and passing, with Isaac Silverman moving the ball up nicely, and reliable solid defensive work from Brian Montoya and Sean Conner. Thomas Hartley was again making great saves, deflecting some hard shots from Wilton. Shea Talbot just missed scoring again as his shot reverberated off the crossbar. Cory Furrier and Miles Martiska kept pressuring Wilton and turning the ball back towards their goal. The second half saw Wilton get the upper hand on their home field as their forwards managed break through twice to even the score 2-2. Aidan Schmid and Harvey Long fought back, getting some nice scoring chances as Newtown fought for another goal. Brian Montoya stepped up his defense again, forcing some crucial turnovers, while Sean Conner made another slide tackle to break up a Wilton rush. Neither team was able to score the rest of the half, leaving a 2-2 tie.

U11

Net Rippers 3, Monroe 0: Newtown dominated Monroe with relentless shots on goal. Beastly Brendan O’Hara, with a bullet assist by Mighty Matt Gerbo, grabbed the first goal, and Magic Mark Hall nailed another. Gerbo then shot a bullet of his own, putting Newtown up 3-0. The defense dominated, lead by Hunter Procaccini, Ryan Brello, and Superslick Silas Decker protecting new goalie Reed Hammond who showed strength and pizzazz with several great saves. Aiden Ford and Grant Larson were relentless, with Harper brothers Nick and Josh using slick foot skills to out-maneuver strong Monroe. Grant Larson showed killer moves, out playing a bigger Monroe squad. Evan Eggleston controlled the midfield with power and tenacity, both stopping Monroe defensively and attacking the net with powerhouse shots on goal.

Net Rippers 5, Fairfield 1: Newtown invaded Fairfield with net-ripping force, with Grant Larson (2) and Nick Harper, Brendan O’Hara, and Mighty Matt Gerbo all finding the net. CJ Trivers was magnificent in goal, with seven made-for-TV saves, and a goalie kick that nearly scored one on its own. Evan Can’t-Touch-This Eggleston had powerful shots on goal, and while he failed to get one in, he did nail one clear back to Newtown. Hungry Hunter Procaccini and Rockin’ Ryan Brello showed aggressive defense, and Josh Harper’s midfield magic continuously fed the ball to strikers O’Hara, Gerbo and Larson. James Battle-Axe Barden showed speed and depth, chasing down and winning every ball that came his way.

U13

Newtown Strikers 4, Ridgefield 1: Early goal by Omar Rodriguez. Second goal, also early, by Rodriguez on a pass from Chris Rovelli. Goal by Rovelli on pass from Liam McNichol. Second half goal by Ridgefield. Final goal by James Carney who had a strong game overall. Coached by James Kelly.

U14

A-Team 4, The Dazed 1: The A-Team offense was led by Patrick Olah with two goals and the team got goals from Kaustav Mitra and Sawyer Conrad. Michael Biancardi had a strong game in goal, while Noah Orakwue continued to dominate on defense. Casper DeWit and Maks Koziol controlled the midfield. The Dazed were led by the scoring of Erik Von Schleusinger and the great defense of Ian Klepacki. Chris Anesi had an amazing game in goal.

A-Team 4, Dario 1: The A-Team improved to 7-1. The A-Team displayed a balanced offense with goals from Casper Dewit, Sawyer Conrad, Dillon Palumbo and Tim Vander Have. The strong defense was anchored by Noah Orakwue, Tommy Shaker, Charlie Soto and Lucas Palumbo. Zach DeMeglio, Kieran Lynch and Quinlan Hart played a great midfield, creating many scoring opportunities. Michael Biancardi and Patrick Olah were outstanding in goal. Team Dario was led by the scoring of Dylan Solano. Conor Murphy and Chris Horbechuck played great defense.